Would you buy a new build home?
Discussion
blueg33 said:
Timbuktu said:
It may make you laugh, but I'm speaking from personal experience of actually working on new build houses and (unfortunately) briefly living in them.
The materials and spec of a couple of the new builds I was working on were, actually, laughable.
I appreciate some new builds are better than others but I'm yet to see one I would actually want to live in myself...
Plus as others have said - he's in his 20s so should be living it up in town!
It makes me laugh because generally it’s wrong. I have probably been involved in speccing and snagging more new homes than 99% of people on ph. My office used to build 750 units per annum, the directors snagged them all. Occasionally there were problems but the vast majority were very good and the buyers very happy. Independent research also confirmed this. The materials and spec of a couple of the new builds I was working on were, actually, laughable.
I appreciate some new builds are better than others but I'm yet to see one I would actually want to live in myself...
Plus as others have said - he's in his 20s so should be living it up in town!
Many houses built pre 1980’s use properly crap materials installed by untrained unskillec labour. Designs were seriously flawed in terms of structure etc.
Yes I will continue to laugh.
I was basing my answer on my own experience, as you are on yours.
Condi said:
Timbuktu said:
It may make you laugh, but I'm speaking from personal experience of actually working on new build houses and (unfortunately) briefly living in them.
The materials and spec of a couple of the new builds I was working on were, actually, laughable.
I appreciate some new builds are better than others but I'm yet to see one I would actually want to live in myself...
Plus as others have said - he's in his 20s so should be living it up in town!
A 1970's prefab is not 'well built' at all.... The materials and spec of a couple of the new builds I was working on were, actually, laughable.
I appreciate some new builds are better than others but I'm yet to see one I would actually want to live in myself...
Plus as others have said - he's in his 20s so should be living it up in town!
Its timber frame, with internal walls made of 2 sheets of plaster-board sandwiched around a cardboard 'egg box' centre. Not much is square, and one side is on a noticeable slant and has been for nearly 50 years. Things were done quickly and cheaply when they needed council housing.
I really dont buy the argument that older houses are somehow better built than new ones. You find more expensive problems in older houses than you do with new ones, without the benefit of a builder able to snag the problems for free.
Integroo said:
We have just received a mortgage promise for well in excess of what we would need to spend to buy something decent and appropriate for us in Edinburgh on a 95% LTV mortgage. Young professional couple with no real commitments. We didn't really intend to buy any time soon but in theory we could, however, as most properties in Edinburgh tend to go over home report value and you only get a mortgage to home report value we would likely need to save for another year or so before we could buy the normal first time buyer property - one or two bed city centre flat. However, we could buy a new build tomorrow with a 5% deposit. Most of the developments are pretty far out of the city centre, but that compromise means we could easily afford a 4 bed detached with garage and driveway. I also have know someone quite senior in a major house builder who can get us the extra bits and pieces thrown in at cost if we bought with them (though they are not a particularly well reviewed house builder...). It would likely be 200-250k for two bed city centre flat (but would need 20-40k in cash) or 250-350k for a 3 or 4 bed new build with garage (but would only need 5%, 12.5-17.5k, plus fees and stamp duty).
"Young professional couple with no real commitments" definitely the City centre then! Edinburgh is such a great city and to live in the city centre...Edited by Integroo on Tuesday 14th August 08:41
If you want to settle down /suburban life and start a family then move to the suburbs otherwise I would stay in the city centre.
jonny70 said:
"Young professional couple with no real commitments" definitely the City centre then! Edinburgh is such a great city and to live in the city centre...
If you want to settle down /suburban life and start a family then move to the suburbs otherwise I would stay in the city centre.
That's what I'm starting to think...currently rent minutes from Princes Street...do I really want to live in Falkirk or the outskirts? If you want to settle down /suburban life and start a family then move to the suburbs otherwise I would stay in the city centre.
Shame the housing market for city centre flats is so hot. Will take a few years to save the 40k or so required.
Condi said:
Timbuktu said:
Not sure why you've quoted me to be honest.
Because your insinuation, and the theme of this thread, has been that old houses are well built and new ones are quickly thrown together, which is 100% not the case. I love new builds, no work to do, all brand new so no money to spend where you don’t get enjoyiment from it like a new boiler, new windows etc. Nice kitchen and tile choices, etc
BUT
It totally depends who from, persimmon? Abosutly not, awful houses with awful quality and non existent customer service. They don’t even give you a door bell or any fence!
I’m actually buying a Taylor wimpey Home and the spec is awesome for a new build. Full tiling to both bathrooms, turf, fencing, spotlights throughout, nice doors, intergeated appliances etc, perfect for first time buyers like myself
I would love a period 1930s house, with the fire place, lovely quary tiles etc, but around here, they are all on the market for the same price as a new build but need a lot of work, I did actually have s couple of quotes done, to have it rewired. New windows, boilers etc and get it to the spec of the new build, £45k. That’s too much for a first timer buyer
BUT
It totally depends who from, persimmon? Abosutly not, awful houses with awful quality and non existent customer service. They don’t even give you a door bell or any fence!
I’m actually buying a Taylor wimpey Home and the spec is awesome for a new build. Full tiling to both bathrooms, turf, fencing, spotlights throughout, nice doors, intergeated appliances etc, perfect for first time buyers like myself
I would love a period 1930s house, with the fire place, lovely quary tiles etc, but around here, they are all on the market for the same price as a new build but need a lot of work, I did actually have s couple of quotes done, to have it rewired. New windows, boilers etc and get it to the spec of the new build, £45k. That’s too much for a first timer buyer
Nickbrapp said:
I would love a period 1930s house, with the fire place, lovely quary tiles etc, but around here, they are all on the market for the same price as a new build but need a lot of work, I did actually have s couple of quotes done, to have it rewired. New windows, boilers etc and get it to the spec of the new build, £45k. That’s too much for a first timer buyer
That premium or not seems to waver quite wildly by area. Near where I'm at a new build complex went up. 2 bed flats were 10-20 grand more than period terraces across the road. Integroo said:
jonny70 said:
"Young professional couple with no real commitments" definitely the City centre then! Edinburgh is such a great city and to live in the city centre...
If you want to settle down /suburban life and start a family then move to the suburbs otherwise I would stay in the city centre.
That's what I'm starting to think...currently rent minutes from Princes Street...do I really want to live in Falkirk or the outskirts? If you want to settle down /suburban life and start a family then move to the suburbs otherwise I would stay in the city centre.
Shame the housing market for city centre flats is so hot. Will take a few years to save the 40k or so required.
Previously she lived Edinburgh city centre and I lived Glasgow city centre. We wanted a dog, a driveway and a garage so the move made sense. With the amount of new build in the central belt at the moment, there’s a great selection available. (After a decade of living several floors up in a flat, a bungalow with only 4 stairs off the deck out back is pretty damn awesome
)As other have said, the quality depends entirely on who the developers are. Even if they're built by the same subcontractors, the developer will specify the materials to be used.
We live in a 13 year old Barratt house, and whilst there are no major issues, there are niggles that I'd like to get sorted. Now though, I wouldn't really consider any of the major developers, purely because they are building to a price point so they will spec the cheapest quality they can get away with to get the maximum number of houses built in the shortest time possible, and in order to make a profit.
Instead, I'd go for a small or medium sized developer where there is more of a personal input from the directors and designers, and have a more sympathetic view of how much spec people need to live, and where I could spec everything I wanted.
I used to be completely dismissive of new builds, but I've worked for a small developer for the last year, so have more of an insight than I used to.
We live in a 13 year old Barratt house, and whilst there are no major issues, there are niggles that I'd like to get sorted. Now though, I wouldn't really consider any of the major developers, purely because they are building to a price point so they will spec the cheapest quality they can get away with to get the maximum number of houses built in the shortest time possible, and in order to make a profit.
Instead, I'd go for a small or medium sized developer where there is more of a personal input from the directors and designers, and have a more sympathetic view of how much spec people need to live, and where I could spec everything I wanted.
I used to be completely dismissive of new builds, but I've worked for a small developer for the last year, so have more of an insight than I used to.
emicen said:
It depends on what floats your boat. If regularly going out is still important to you, then the suburbs or further will always be a hinderance. That being said, we now live at Heartlands, day/evening out in either city is doable by train from Armadale, want to stay out later, night bus stops at Harthill services.
Previously she lived Edinburgh city centre and I lived Glasgow city centre. We wanted a dog, a driveway and a garage so the move made sense. With the amount of new build in the central belt at the moment, there’s a great selection available. (After a decade of living several floors up in a flat, a bungalow with only 4 stairs off the deck out back is pretty damn awesome )
I looked at an estate in Heartlands. How is the commute? I would much prefer a detached with a garden and a garage rather than what is almost a studio flat that I currently rent, for £1000 pcm ...Previously she lived Edinburgh city centre and I lived Glasgow city centre. We wanted a dog, a driveway and a garage so the move made sense. With the amount of new build in the central belt at the moment, there’s a great selection available. (After a decade of living several floors up in a flat, a bungalow with only 4 stairs off the deck out back is pretty damn awesome
)Shame that if you want a garage, you need to have four bedrooms! Not sure what I'd do with the other three ...
Integroo said:
I looked at an estate in Heartlands. How is the commute? I would much prefer a detached with a garden and a garage rather than what is almost a studio flat that I currently rent, for £1000 pcm ...
Shame that if you want a garage, you need to have four bedrooms! Not sure what I'd do with the other three ...
Don’t know going your way to be honest. Shame that if you want a garage, you need to have four bedrooms! Not sure what I'd do with the other three ...
The Mrs is starting her own business but works a few days a week in Milngavie, so takes the train from Armadale. When she was at college the traffic flow up to the cathedral junction in Glasgow where she turned off wasn’t really an issue.
I work at Newhouse so 2 junctions along the M8, 12 miles, I’m usually 13 mins.
Neither of us has really gone Edinburgh direction except for a couple of days I did in at the Gyle business park. Wasn’t too bad, slow for the last few miles, if it was a regular thing I would take the train to Edinburgh Park or if working city centre, Waverley or Haymarket. The service out of Armadale is really good and it’s 3 miles or country road to the station car park.
This just appeared in my Facebook timeline for today. My
Noticed on Rightmove that there's quite a lot of nearly new builds coming onto the market near me (London) which is due to the HTB scheme now being in its fifth year and so the deadline is approaching for actually having to pay off some of the capital.
Will be interesting to see what the actual sold prices will be as at the moment they are listed at peak 2014 prices.
Will be interesting to see what the actual sold prices will be as at the moment they are listed at peak 2014 prices.
It is interesting to hear people say about there being a premium for new build homes, we bought a Bovis new build in a seaside town in the southwest as our first home 9 months ago. At the time the house we bought was the cheapest turn key 3 bed in the area. We had a few snags to sort out but the site team were great and everything was sorted quickly and to a high standard. We even managed to get the garden turfed for free just by being friendly with the site manager and sales team.
I grew up in a variety of older houses, from Victorian 3 story town houses to 70s council houses and the first house I rented myself was a late 90s build. They all had their own pros and cons. The Victorian town house was beautiful but required constant work to keep it looking good and not a single wall or ceiling in the house was square (I learnt tons from working on this with my dad) the 70s council house was solid as a rock, every wall was brick or block but it was constantly damp and the ageing central heating couldn't cope with it. The late 90s house was an example of where I think new builds get their bad reputation, the walls were paper thin, the upstairs floors bounced when you walked on them and everything seemed to be built to the lowest possible cost.
By comparison the Bovis new build is on the edge of an estate overlooking the estuary and the cliffs, it is light and airy and although all the internal walls are plasterboard they do not feel flimsy and are insulated well so that noise doesn't carry through the whole house.
At one point or another every house was a "new build" buy from a good builder and keep a close eye on the build and you should be okay.
I grew up in a variety of older houses, from Victorian 3 story town houses to 70s council houses and the first house I rented myself was a late 90s build. They all had their own pros and cons. The Victorian town house was beautiful but required constant work to keep it looking good and not a single wall or ceiling in the house was square (I learnt tons from working on this with my dad) the 70s council house was solid as a rock, every wall was brick or block but it was constantly damp and the ageing central heating couldn't cope with it. The late 90s house was an example of where I think new builds get their bad reputation, the walls were paper thin, the upstairs floors bounced when you walked on them and everything seemed to be built to the lowest possible cost.
By comparison the Bovis new build is on the edge of an estate overlooking the estuary and the cliffs, it is light and airy and although all the internal walls are plasterboard they do not feel flimsy and are insulated well so that noise doesn't carry through the whole house.
At one point or another every house was a "new build" buy from a good builder and keep a close eye on the build and you should be okay.
We bought a new build, 4 bed, detached, garage, 100sqm garden. One of a small dev of 42 houses, all 4 bed detached.
No major snags at all, got to choose our tiles, flooring, bathrooms and lighting.
Very happy with it.
Wouldn't have wanted to live where I do when I was mid twenties though, if the other option was lively, cool, city centre.
No major snags at all, got to choose our tiles, flooring, bathrooms and lighting.
Very happy with it.
Wouldn't have wanted to live where I do when I was mid twenties though, if the other option was lively, cool, city centre.
Henners said:
I wouldn't.
For £500k round here I get 4 bedrooms in an executive home which seems to mean no real garden, one parking space and a lounge / kitchen / diner.
who'd be an executive? all that hard work and life sapping job just to own a house you never see as consolation in the back of your mind!!For £500k round here I get 4 bedrooms in an executive home which seems to mean no real garden, one parking space and a lounge / kitchen / diner.
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